A former head teacher is working with celebrities to promote the teaching of Black History in schools across the UK - and not just during Black History Month.
From Les Ferdinand to Lord Paul Boateng, a number of Black-British celebrities have shown their support for a non-profit, national initiative - which strives to embed Black History into the curriculum.
Education consultant Neil Mayers is the producer of the The Black-Facts Almanac, an informative Black Diaspora History resource.
The almanac is jam packed with Black History, everything from the independence days of every African country and Caribbean island, to inspirational quotes from Black heroes across the diaspora.
The unique calendar highlights a fact for every day of the year, and celebrities have teamed up with Neil to support the project.
Robin Walker, Wayne Otto, Anne-Marie Imafidon, and Dawn Butler MP are just some of the icons who have personally donated the almanac to the schools in their Local Education Authority.
Other names supporting the initiative include Trevor Nelson, Nikki Tapper and Nicola Beckford, with donations being made to more than 1,500 educational establishments.
The author of Gifted at Primary, Failing by Secondary, started the almanac in 2006 after his return from teaching in Atlanta, Georgia.
Neil told the Mirror: “I had been immersed in African-American history and saw the difference that it makes to the academic attainment of the students in Atlanta. So I knew coming back I was going to have to do something to create a similar impact.”
He has worked within education for 20 years, with various roles including head teacher, maths teacher, head of inclusion and head of year.
“This national initiative can solve the problem of not having Black History in schools and it’s going to have an impact on all students all year round,” he explained.
After studying an African-studies course, Neil was determined to become a teacher as he understood the massive impact Black History would have on grades across all subjects.
He said: “It comes down to what I’ve termed as ‘cultural esteem’.
“In order to have aspirations for the top grades, you have to think highly of yourself, which means you have to take pride in yourself, which means you have to know yourself.
“It’s the knowing yourself part which is why it is such a big problem for African, Caribbean and Mixed Heritage students in this country. Not only do we not know our history, the stuff that is put out there which is supposed to be about our history is often misinformation.”
Neil added: “Making that connection in terms of knowing yourself means you have got to learn Black History. It then has a chain effect, where you start thinking more highly of yourself and having higher expectations.
“Then you can start having conversations about getting the top grades, because their sense of self has completely changed.”
Instead of one subject on Black History, Neil says the topic should be fully embedded in the curriculum in UK schools and taught across all subjects, not just during Black History Month in October.
The former teacher would find out that the information taught in his class was being discussed in other lessons: “They were really grateful that there was somebody in school telling them about the importance of learning about their own culture and their own identity.”
Unlike in Welsh schools, where the teaching of African, Caribbean and Asian histories are mandatory in the curriculum, Black History barely features in English primary or secondary schools – something that campaigners and teachers have been lobbying to change for a number of years.
The 2023 Black-Facts Almanacs will be discounted to all teachers and schools in the UK, with this year’s profits being used to donate to more inner-city schools across the country.
The Mirror has also launched a petition calling on the Government to make Black history mandatory across all schools in the UK from ages eight to 16.
Louise Atkinson, national president of the National Education Union, has also backed our campaign.
She said: “All young people deserve a curriculum in which they can see themselves represented and reflected properly.
“The teaching of Black History as an integral part of the national curriculum is much needed so that, as a society, we begin to break down some of the barriers caused by racism. To change our future, we need to understand and learn from our shared histories.”
Sign our petition here.
